News from Cenacle Treatment Center

Females who have migraines likely to suffer from depression in the future

A report soon to released in American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21 to April 28, suggested that there is a link between female migraine sufferers and depression.

The research consisted of data which was taken from 36,154,and a total of 6,456 had current or past problems with migraines, more than half of them developed depression over the 14 years the research was carried out.

Patients that had a history of migraines were nearly twice as likely to develop depression as those that had no history of the affliction. The results did not vary substantially, regardless of the type of migraine. Those with aura, which is described as visual disturbances that appear as flashing lights, zigzag lines or a temporary loss of vision, had the same risks as other types of migraine.

Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD, with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Inserm in France and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology said :

"This is one of the first large studies to examine the association between migraine and the development of depression over time ... We hope our findings will encourage doctors to speak to their migraine patients about the risk of depression and potential ways to prevent depression."

Could it be long term use of pain relief medication causing depression?

Within this study there seems to be no suggestion that long term use of drugs to quell migraines have an effect on the mind and body. The trial itself is very interesting and maybe it will expand on the other variables of why women contract depression over a long periods of time. We know that there is a link between people who use recreational drugs even alcohol over long periods of time and depression, though this variable seems not to be mentioned.

As a migraine sufferer ( induced after a head injury) I know this pain very well and all mainstream medicine would offer me was very strong pain killers. This was something the neurologist suggested I would have to take for the rest of my life to quell the spells of horrendous pain where even light would trigger them, thankfully complementary medicine stopped my migraines and I can't remember the last time I had one.